Biography

Bernard Coulie, President and CEO of Pliant Therapeutics, brings to the board more than 15 years of senior leadership experience and drug development expertise. He joined Pliant from ActoGeniX (acquired by Intrexon Corporation), where he was CEO, Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder. In these positions, Dr. Coulie played an integral role in advancing the company’s unique technology platform for oral delivery of biologics from early discovery stage through Phase 2 studies. Prior to ActoGeniX, he held various positions with increasing responsibilities in drug discovery and clinical development at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development Europe. At Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Coulie served as Therapeutic Area Leader Internal Medicine, managing a portfolio of products in GI, metabolic diseases and inflammation/immunology, ranging from early drug discovery through Phase 2 studies. Earlier in his career, he was a Staff Physician in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic, Assistant Professor in Medicine at Mayo Medical School and a Mayo Foundation scholar. In addition to Septerna, Dr. Coulie currently serves on the boards of Dualyx and the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association.

Dr. Coulie holds an MD and PhD from the University of Leuven, Belgium. He is a board-certified internist and holds an MBA from the Vlerick Management School, Leuven, Belgium.